Arrow: Socks
by weird-but-wonderful
Summary: Oliver wants to buy socks like he has said at his birthday party.


**Author's note:** I loved the surprise party in episode 5x22 and I got this idea in my head. It has a little change to the original plot because Chase isn't part of the story. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't owe Arrow and I don't make money with this.

* * *

 **Socks**

Oliver's first thought had been to buy socks, although he had more than enough in his drawer. But instead of his family and friends he had no idea what to do with spare time. Despite his time away with Felicity last year he had just survived Lian Yu, Hong Kong, Russia and Starling City for ten years. Spare time was a luxury during these years. He obviously didn't know what to do without a threat. So Oliver was on the way to his man's clothier to buy socks the following morning when he noticed an outdoor shop. Immediately Felicity's plan to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and to spend a night under the stars came into his mind. Oliver could see her dressed in bright colors with a backpack full of outdoor equipment, technology, power banks and food while her ponytail bounced up and down with every step she took. Because of that picture in his mind he entered the store. Immediately a vender walked towards him and offered his help which he declined. Instead he looked at the displayed goods. Oliver didn't know what he was looking for, but Felicity wanted to sleep under the stars, so she would need some equipment.

At first Oliver looked at the sleeping bags and remembered the first night he had spent together with Felicity.  
 _After Tommy's death he_ _had gone_ _to_ _Lian Yu_ _and had_ _been_ _there_ _for a_ _few_ _weeks, when Felicity_ _came to the island_ _to bring him back_ _home._ _While she drank_ _some_ _water out of his bottle_ _she told him that his family and the company needed him. Although Oliver didn't want to go back in the beginning of their conversation, she_ _finally_ _convinced him_ _._ _So_ _Felicity_ _called the boat with a satellite phone, but they_ _c_ _ould_ _n't_ _pick them_ _up_ _until_ _the_ _following_ _day because of the heavy sea._ _While Felicity prepared a place to sleep for herself_ _Oliver hunted_ _two_ _small_ _bird_ _s,_ _collected some_ _eatable_ _plants and prepared a simple meal for them._ _They ate outside of the plane_ _wrack at_ _the fire. Afterward_ _s_ _she told him_ _more_ _news_ _about_ _Starling City_ _until_ _it was time to sleep._ _Because he was a gentleman and i_ _t_ _became_ _cold_ _he_ _gave_ _Felicity_ _his sleeping bag,_ _but she insisted to share_ _it_ _with him._ _D_ _uring the night she_ _moved close_ _r_ _to him, pulled his arm around her_ _and even shoved_ _her_ _legs between his,_ _although she was sound asleep_ _._ _Oliver_ _noticed all that because of his light sleep_ _._ _When they woke up t_ _he next morning,_ _their bodies were even more entangled._ _Immediately Felicity moved away from him, while he_ _smirked at her_ _and_ _told_ _her_ _about her_ _strange_ _beha_ _v_ _iour._ _She_ _confessed_ _in her babbling way_ _and with_ _a faint blush on her face_ _to freez_ _e_ _easily_ _at night_ _._ _  
_He knew she needed a sleeping bag which kept her warm. So Oliver red a lot of signs and found the perfect one easily, although he would prefer to warm her whenever she got cold.

Then he turned his attention to the backpacks. The different sizes and colors distracted him for a moment until a singleton caught his attention. It brought a grin to his face because a memory of her first official appearance as his executive assistant came into his mind.  
 _Oliver_ _was CEO for a couple of weeks when he asked_ _Felicity to accompany him_ _to a charity event_ _of Queen Consolidated_ _. The event was a week away when she walked into the foundry with lots of shopping bags in her hands_ _and a frown on her face_ _._ _Although h_ _e worked out on the salmon ladder that moment,_ _it wasn't hard to notice_ _something was wrong. So he got down and asked her_ _directly_ _._ _At first she hesitated, but then she told him she wasn't sure what she should wear._ _Felicity_ _pulled five dresses out of the bags and showed them to him. Before he got_ _a_ _chance to_ _say a single word,_ _she went_ _into the bathroom_ _with the_ _m_ _. When_ _Felicity_ _exited it_ _,_ _she wore a pale blue,_ _floor-length_ _, strapless_ _gown_ _. She walked towards_ _Oliver_ _, turned around and went into the bathroom again. The same procedure happened with_ _a bright red, a dark green, a dark blue and a purple_ _gown_ _._ _Felicity_ _had an eye for clothing, although she didn't believe in her taste that moment._ _But Oliver's gaze was a proof for that,_ _because it was totally focused on her whenever she walked out of the bathroom and until she returned to it_ _. Finally_ _she_ _asked for his opinion and_ _he_ _told her_ _honestly_ _she looked_ _beautiful_ _in_ _every dress_ _. Her cheeks turned into a pale pink after his comment_ _while_ _a_ _rare_ _real smile_ _appeared_ _on his face._ _Then he_ _pointed_ _at_ _the_ _pale blue_ _dress and explained_ _that_ _she would be the most beautiful women_ _at the event_ _and he would be honored to be there with her_ _. The pale pink of her cheeks itensified and she hurried back into the bathroom._ _  
_The pale blue singleton had the same color as the dress she had worn to the charity event, so Oliver didn't have to think about which backpack he would buy, because it had already chosen him. While he took it he relived their opening dance in his mind.

In the next aisle he found outdoor clothes. Oliver knew her style. He had more than once admired her looks when she wouldn't notice like she had admired him often while he trained with a bare upper body. Although she liked dresses and skirts, he knew it wasn't practical at a trail. So he gave the trousers a closer look.  
 _Oliver_ _sat at home and waited for her. Since they_ _had_ _left Starling City, they had spent nearly every minute together. But_ _that day_ _Felicity was on a shopping trip with_ _their neighbour Laura, so he was alone at home._ _Although s_ _he was_ _just_ _gone for_ _a couple of hours,_ _t_ _he house was already clean,_ _the laundry done and the d_ _inner_ _prepared_ _. Because there was nothing else to do he did some sit-ups to distract himself from her absence until his phone rang. It was a_ _picture_ _from Felicity, which showed pale skin and a strap. Although his mind_ _gave him ideas, what he saw,_ _he returned a message with some_ _questionnaires._ _Within seconds he got another picture, a selfie from the changing room which showed Felicity in black_ _lingerie_ _. Underneath_ _of_ _the_ _picture_ _she had written_ _that her wallet was_ _at_ _home, so Oliver would never see th_ _ese_ _pieces on her_ _again_ _. Immediately his body reacted to the picture_ _and_ _he didn't think twice_ _when he_ _grabbed his keys as well as his wallet and drove into the city._ _At first_ _Oliver_ _went to_ _her favourite lingerie store. But neither_ _Felicity_ _nor Laura were visible, so he went into the next store._ _Felicity's_ _voice was clearly recognizable from the changing room, where he went._ _While s_ _he stood_ _in front of a big mirror_ _and gazed at her reflection_ _she talked to Laura_ _until she noticed him and_ _locked_ _her_ _gaze with his._ _A_ _wide smile appeared on her face_ _which he returned_ _._ _Meanwhile h_ _e closed the distance between them and whispered into her ear that_ _the_ _dress was gorgeous like the women who wore it. Then his lips brushed against her cheek from behind._ _They were_ _disturbed_ _by Laura_ _when she exited_ _a_ _changing room. She_ _smirked_ _at_ _the couple_ _like she knew this meeting_ _wasn't a_ _coincidence._ _T_ _hen she said good bye to them with a lame excuse_ _and_ _the two of them were alone._ _A_ _lthough he_ _loved_ _that_ _dress on her, he hurried her into the changing room because_ _he wanted to buy that dress and have a closer look at the_ _lingerie_ _._ _Afterwards he wanted_ _to go home_ _with her_ _._ _  
_A pair of shorts and a pair of zip-off-trousers were his decision. Both had the color of the dress she had worn the night before. The dress he had bought for her while they lived in Ivy Town and he had never seen on her until his birthday party.

On the opposite site of the trousers hung tops, shirts and blouses. Felicity would definitely need them on her trip. He wasn't sure what she would prefer because usually she wore different styles. The only thing she didn't understand and didn't like at all was square check pattern.  
 _Felicity and Oliver went back to Star City to help Team Arrow._ _After the_ _first_ _day_ _they went to the loft which_ _Thea had offered them._ _Oliver_ _brought the_ _ir_ _luggage into his old room whi_ _ch_ _they_ _unpack_ _ed_ _._ _Afterwards_ _he changed into_ _a pair of sweatpants_ _and went downstairs to get_ _two glasses of red wine_ _._ _Mean_ _while_ _Felicity_ _stayed_ _in the room_ _. When he returned, she lay on the bed and watched TV._ _Oliver_ _didn't_ _notice the_ _naughty_ _smile on her face because his gaze was fixated on her body which was barely_ _clad_ _by on_ _e_ _of his white dress shirts. Only two buttons over her breasts were closed,_ _obviously she didn't wear a bra while_ _her belly,_ _her silky panty_ _as well as_ _her legs_ _were_ _clearly visible. Within the blink of an eye he placed the glass_ _es_ _on the nightstand, got down on the bed and kissed her passionately_ _while his hands started to_ _work on the buttons_ _._  
Two white trekking blouses were the perfect addition to the colorful pants. Immediately he put them to the other items. Oliver could still feel her. It was a memory, he would hopefully never forget.

Oliver knew she needed more than his shopping for the trip, but she probably wanted to choose some things on her own, so he went to the checkout and paid everything. The vender put a small notebook with snowy mountains on the cover as a gift into the shopping bag. Afterwards Oliver left the store and ignored his former plan to buy socks. Instead he returned to his car. He opened the trunk and put the shopping bags inside. Then he got everything out of them, removed the price tags and put it into the backpack. Meanwhile his thoughts turned towards her, towards them and suddenly his feelings overwhelmed him. Oliver just wanted her and wanted to be with her. He knew he was ready for it while she had shown him she was too. But Felicity wanted to make small steps. That backpack was one step. With this thought in his mind he sat down in the driver seat and wrote some words on the first page of the notebook.

* * *

When Felicity left the loft in the afternoon, she was distracted by her mobile phone and stumbled over something in front of the door. Luckily she caught herself at the wall. At first she glanced on the ground and noticed the backpack. Then she put her phone into her purse because that surprise was more interesting than any message on her phone could be. Although Oliver had warned her more than once about deliveries and presents from unknown senders, she took the attached notebook curiously, opened it and red it.

 _Dear Felicity,  
_ _I wanted to buy socks today instead I found_ _this.  
I wish you lots of fun on your trip.  
Send me a picture from the starlit sky.  
_ _L_ _ove, Oliver_

Felicity couldn't suppress the smile forming on her face, because this was her Oliver. He rarely showed this side to her and he had probably never shown it anyone else. Although she guessed it was a small step for him, it was a big gesture for her. So Felicity walked back into the loft with the backpack in her hand and emptied it on the couch. She didn't know why he had chosen the items and colours, but every piece brought a memory back to her, so the smile didn't leave her face for a while.

* * *

Oliver went to the bunker after he had placed the backpack in front of her door. He had done the salmon ladder until his muscles ached, then he trained on the dummy until it broke. Before he ended the training with lots of situps, he lifted some weights. Although his body hurt, his mind was still stuck at Felicity. His exhausted body as well as the ice-cold shower after the training didn't change that fact. Felicity was with him all the time. It didn't matter if it was herself or a memory. The beeping of his mobile phone interrupted his thoughts.

 _Need your help at Palmer Technologies. ASAP. F._

Oliver had expected any kind of thank, but he hadn't expected this. For a moment he was worried about her until he calmed himself. If she was in trouble and could write a message, she would tell him directly what was up. So he put his leather jacket on, took his helmet and drove to the company with his motor cycle. Despite their separation Oliver had still a security clearance for the building and for the top floor. He left the elevator and walked directly towards Felicity's office. Neither her assistant nor she were there. Immediately his mind invented mostly bad reasons for that. Oliver walked into her office without hesitation and looked for an explanation. There were no signs of a struggle, everything seemed to be usual. Just the yellow card in shape of a star on top of her desk was outstanding. Without a second thought he took it and red it.

 _Follow your stars._

Three cryptic words in her handwriting was all he got and he had no idea what she wanted to tell him, although he assumed it could be a reference her plan. Oliver left the office because nothing gave him a clue where she was. While he returned to the elevator he noticed the yellow star attached to the staircase door. He pulled it off and turned it around, but there was no message on it. Oliver wondered if the card on Felicity's desk referred to this star. So he walked cautiously through the door and took in the surroundings carefully, but he didn't sense any threats instead he discovered another yellow star at the wall of the next landing. So he followed the lead and walked upstairs. No word stood on that card. His gaze wandered around and searched for another star, which he found on the door at the end of the staircase. He gathered that star too and opened the door.

* * *

Felicity sat on the ground when he walked through the door. She had awaited him for a while now, but she knew he had checked his way up for possible threats and traps. While he closed the distance to her, she smiled at him and padded on the place at her side. Meanwhile their gazes where locked the whole time. For the moment there was no need to say a single word and he didn't speak either. Instead he took the place at her side. The closeness to him felt right.

"Thank you." Finally she broke the silence, although she was lost in his gaze, lost in him. "The trail needs some preparations but I want to spend a night under the stars." Felicity took the new sleeping bag and spread it over their legs. "Maybe you want to spend the night with me." Immediately she hesitated. "I don't mean spend spend, just spend, like back on Lian Yu. The first time with you was on Lian Yu." Although she knew the words had left her mouth in a completely wrong way, his smirk told her that he had understood her even if she hadn't found the right words. For a moment they sat silently together. Meanwhile she took his hand, while her look didn't waver. "This is a big step." A flash of insecurity got visible on his face, so she moved closer towards him. Felicity looked at him and was absolutely sure about one thing. So she closed the last inches between them and touched his lips with hers smoothly. Immediately he returned that kiss. Meanwhile he laid his arms around her and lifted her onto his lap, she let it happen because it felt like coming home. Everything felt right. Still she pulled away from him despite his resistance and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you, Oliver."


End file.
